Gov. Haley Barbour (R-MS) Says Integration at Ole Miss was "A Very Pleasant Experience" Black Classmate Verna Bailey Begs to Differ

Mississippi governor, Haley Barbour is either a longtime racist or a complete moron. It is hard to believe he could be so tone deaf as to state that during the 1960s when the University of Mississippi, or Ole Miss, was being forced to integrate, it was "a very pleasant experience." For whom? Here we have another white Southern man trying to revise history to suit his views. What's ironic, is that his classmate at Ole Miss, Verna Bailey, who was one of the first black students admitted to the university, is puzzled as to why he would say that was a pleasant experience, since she felt she was going to lose her life during that horrible period in American history. There were deadly riots that were broadcast nationally, so where was Haley Barbour when all this occurred? He's trying to trivialize and cheapen the struggles many blacks faced in the Deep South during the 1960s.

According to the Commercial Appeal newspaper, the seats of the students were alphabetically assigned and he sat next to Ms. Bailey. She let him copy her notes when he skipped class. He said he loved her. Yeah, loved her so much that he could not remember her middle name when asked about her during an interview with the newspaper. He said he remembers her name almost as if it were yesterday. Governor, her middle name is Ann not Lee. Some friend you are!

It's ironic that someone from a state with such a racist past could entertain thoughts of running for the presidency of the United States. Race will be an undercurrent should he opt to run for the highest political office in the nation. One can't be oblivious to the fact that James Meredith, a black student at Ole Miss, was threatened with being lynched and U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy sent U.S. marshals to protect him as he arrived on campus in 1962. The riots that ensued wounded more than 100 marshals and killed two bystanders. Surely this isn't the man who we could envision as our next president. Either he's deliberately trying to rewrite the civil rights history or he's just plain stupid.

Watch the video about the deadly riots at Ole Miss: